


Find Who You Love Through True Love's Kiss

by rosie__posie



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enchanted AU, Fairy Tale Elements, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:56:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22140262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosie__posie/pseuds/rosie__posie
Summary: Galo Thymos was a knight of Promepolis. Aina chose him to be her husband. Kray was the current King of the throne, and did not want this to be. So he sent the knight down a well that led supposedly to a place where there were no 'happily ever afters'.Lio Fotia was an overworked, single lawyer who didn't really believe in love. He was finally given a chance to take a break from his job, when suddenly a 'prince' entered his life.Will a romance blossom for these two, or will their 'fates' prevent this possibility?Enchanted AU Idea I had for a long time.
Relationships: Aina Ardebit/Thyma, Gueira/Meis (Promare), Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 17
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea I've had for the longest time. Please let me know if you would like to see more <3

Lio needed a vacation. At least enough to recharge from dealing with divorce proceedings, custody battles and annulment cases. He enjoyed helping people out, but the amount of heartbreak that he had to deal with was about as enjoyable as one might expect.

On a lone friday night, Lio met with his childhood friends Gueira and Meis to spend an evening together to talk about their lives and how they were doing. One question, though, always came up and was one Lio dreaded to try and answer.

“So, have you been seeing anyone recently?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Gueira complained, as if this was more his issue than Lio’s, “Well, how come? You’re a handsome guy with an amazing job. You must at least have some guys hovering around you.”

Lio pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I don’t have a lot of time to date, right now. You both know this. Work comes first.”

Meis dropped in words of concern, his hand holding onto Gueira’s. “Yeah, but you also need to have time for yourself Lio. How much time do you spend focusing on your job?”

Lio didn’t answer, he just swirled his index finger around the rim of his wine glass. The silence was clear enough for his friends though.

Meis spoke first, “You know you shouldn’t stress yourself out so much. Your vacation is coming real soon, right? Maybe we can all get together and watch a movie or play some games? Thyma just got a Switch at her apart-”

Lio had enough. He didn’t want his friends to constantly feel like they need to help him socially. “No thanks. In all honesty, I think I need to have some solitude for myself. Working on other people’s struggles just makes it difficult to focus on my own. So...that’s how I’m going to spend my time. I appreciate the offer, though.”

His friends just nodded. And so the night continued. And the drinks added up. Until all three were outside, reminiscing about the ‘good old days’, laughing and stumbling as they walked. 

Then, Meis noticed something from the corner of his eye.

“Hm. Well there’s something you don’t see everyday.”

“Meis, what are you talking abo- Oh my fucking god.”

Lio looked up as well. And what he saw, was pretty stupid.

A man dressed in what looked like a Medieval Times costume was knocking and yelling at a fake door to a fake castle that was an advertisement for the “Ever After Casino”. The man continued to knock, nearly causing the flimsy sign itself to fall, which only expressed concern on the watching party. Gueira yelled first.

“Hey! Excuse me! Do you need some help?”

The ‘princely’ figure turned around, his chiseled good looks surprising Lio as he thought to himself,  _ So he’s hot and crazy.  _

And then, his voice echoed into the night like a Shakespearean play, “Ah! Yes! Fine sirs, perhaps you can help me! I’m having difficulty entering this castle to find the King and his dearest step-daughter. If I could use your strength for a moment to break this door open, I’ll pay you in great amounts of gold.”

Lio didn’t want to participate any longer in this stupidity, but as he was about ready to head his way, he saw this lunatic begin to step forward from the edge of the billboard, like there was more floor to stand. Only to then trip and fall. Being the closest to this weirdo, Lio instinctively did his best to catch the guy with his arms, in a very princely fashion.

He managed to catch him, the two sharing a heartfelt glance, almost a coup de foudre, until Lio began to squint and struggle at the weight he was carrying, and fell to his knees.

“Thank you, sir, you saved my life! I am greatly indebted to you.”

The ‘prince’ stood himself back up only to bow in the presence of his ‘savior’. Lio, still huffing and grumbling from the back pain he experienced, just let out a small, “It’s fine. Just... don’t climb up there again, sir.”

Meis and Gueira ran closer to check on the two of them, the latter asking, “Are you okay? What were trying to do up there?”

The man moved theatrically, as if he were a character at Disneyworld, telling his ‘tale’ like so: “Well, kind man, I was trying to reach out to the King up there in that castle, hoping that it would lead me back to my wedding and my lovely bride.”

Lio, Meis and Gueira all looked at each other, still thinking this man was crazy, but agreeing that there may be some people he could contact that might help him. But where do they take him? Meis and Gueira  _ have an idea _ , smirking at their companion, the human short end of the stick. Lio gave them the look that would telepathically scream to them  _ NO! _ . Gueira, however, managed to speak first.

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but that ‘castle’ up there isn’t real. Our friend here, though, will gladly help you call your bride to be.” The scruffy redhead patted Lio’s back so hard, it startled the stoic lawyer. Lio growled at his friend, then turned back to see sapphire eyes beaming at him.

“You have a way of doing that? Really?”

Lio felt obligated to speak. “Ahem! Yes, you borrow my phone if you want.” He showed off the device from out of his front pocket.

The ‘princely’ figure inspected it with a curious eye, moving his head to and fro. It was a very alien gesture to Lio, causing him greater concern of extending Gueira’s offer.

Blue eyes suddenly squinted and began to pull from his sheath to Lio’s phone, a sword. He spoke up, “What kind of sorcery is this? You plan to trap me in this ‘black box’ like some kind of rat? Ha-ha! I won’t be made the fool again!” And with a quick jab, the crazed man with the sword managed to throw Lio’s phone off his hand and onto the concrete pavement. A couple of cracking sounds sealed the fate of the device. Lio’s resentment toward this situation was now becoming so unbearable, he was about ready to lose his cool and fist fight this maniac.

Sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning, however, created a divergent path for the two.

Gueira pointed it out first, “Looks like we shouldn’t stay out for too long. Do you know of any places you could stay, mister…?”

The soldier changed his tune almost instantly, as if Lio’s phone wasn’t a threat to him in the first place. “Oh, sorry! Where are my manners?”

He placed his sword back in his sheath and bowed, “Sir Galo Thymos! I’m a soldier for the guard of Promepolis. Pleasure to meet you!”

The three working boys didn’t expect such a change in attitude. Or even such bizarre information:  _ Where the hell is Promepolis _ ? Gueira nonetheless introduced himself as well before asking his question once again, “Glad to meet you, Galo. I’m Gueira. Do you have any idea of where you could stay?”

Galo stood back up, scratching his chin as he gave this question a hard think, “Hmm… well I usually sleep at my quarters, but that was at the castle. I guess I’ll just have to find a local inn or a tavern. Might you three help me find one?”

Lio chimed in quickly just so he could never see this guy again, “Sure! Holiday Inn. 5 blocks from here. Can’t miss it. Bye!”

Meis pulled the green-ette back to him before the lawyer could get away from the moment. “Actually, our friend here has a room he could offer for a night. Why don’t you stay with him?”

That set Lio off. “Excuse me?!”

Meis pulled Lio even closer to whisper, “Look, this guy needs some help and you need some company, so just give him a day or two. If he does anything crazy, call the police.”

Lio tried to debate back, but Meis wouldn’t listen. Gueira neither. So he looked back at those vibrant blue eyes, now with a hint of mistrust at him, asking, “You promise not to do anything wicked, warlock?”

_ Warlock?! This guy must be a lunatic… _ But Lio had no choice. He grumbled, “Yes, I promise. Now let’s hurry before this storm gets any worse.”

Galo smiled with childlike innocence, the same instant change of attitude that seemed unnatural to the trio. “Alright! Let’s head off, then!”

Gueira called an Uber for Lio and his new friend, which led to another worrisome discovery for Galo when he saw the car drive to them. Once the sword was sheathed again and everyone’s minds were cleared, the actual ride experience was obnoxious for Lio’s sanity. Galo’s constant questions and concerns as they drove by buildings, people, etc. really bugged Lio so much. Even the driver had enough, using his adjustable screen that divided him from his passengers to keep such loud thoughts from clouding his mind.

Lio wished he could have that luxury. Or maybe even some noise cancelling headphones. All he knew was the night was going to be a lot longer than this.


	2. Chapter 2

The door creaks open as Lio enters his familiar apartment hallway. His unwanted guest behind him gave a wide expression of wonder as they went inside. To their right was a small, but very modern looking kitchenette. Although it looked nice, it definitely wasn’t maintained as there were visible bits of dirt and food on the countertops and floor along with a stack of dishes overflowing from the sink to the very same counters. To their left, was a quaint living room area that looked hard to move around in. The couch and its respective ottoman took up much of the room and right beside it was a table that housed a large-

“Another black box!” Galo jumped and grabbed his sword as soon as he saw the monstrosity. “You lied to me, warlock! I will not be fooled twice by such tricks!”

As Galo hurled his sword towards Lio’s incredibly expensive flatscreen, the tired and semi-drunk man jumped forward to stop another one of his possessions from being destroyed by idiocy. The metal weapon clattered onto the floor. Lio’s body lay atop of Galo’s, the two moaning in pain. Lio managed to push himself up slowly, suddenly realizing the position he was in.

Although Galo was an absolute lunatic, Lio could see from his angle that this ‘knight’ was worthy of his throne. He studied the man, noting all the details: his hair was wild but incredibly silky by the look of its texture, the man’s face was pointedly sculpted, his jawline was much sharper than the sword. Maybe it was the wine, the temperature of the room, or a little of both, but Lio wanted to just undo Galo’s armor right there and see what’s underneath the suit. 

But reality set in. And so, he shook it off and pulled himself back up.

Galo, unaware of the ogling his host had done, rubbed the back of his head from the rough landing.

Lio quickly grabbed a remote from the side table and turned on the TV to better explain to Galo what it was. Within a flicker, the ‘black box’ instantly turned to a late night show with some loud, tacky host. Lio made sure to adjust the volume for his headache. “It’s not going to hurt you, idiot. Show _some_ faith in me. It’s just a television.” 

Galo turned back into childlike bewilderment, placing his hands on the screen as if he were a child at an aquarium. “Is this like...a magic mirror? I’ve heard about them in stories, but I never thought I’d see one for real.”

Lio was really starting to regret allowing this man into his house. But he didn’t have the strength, nor the energy to kick the guy out until it becomes **really dangerous.** Galo asked curiously, “Tell me. Do these things really talk to you if you ask them questions?”

That was a weird thing to ask, but Lio kind of knew how to answer it. “Oh, yeah. Umm… just say ‘Hi TV’ and then you ask it something like ‘Go to Channel 32’ or something…”

“So you can teleport to different water channels? Wow!”

Lio massaged his temples as he heard this nonsense. “Sure. Whatever. Just don’t break it. I’m going to take a shower.”

One step towards his bathroom was all Lio could take when a familiar soft rush of fur stroked past his leg. He looked down to find his black cat, brushing against him.

Galo leaned closer at the new ‘friend’. “What a majestic looking feline! What’s your name, Miss?”

Lio crouched down to scratch his animal child’s neck. “Her name’s Cinder.”

Galo looked at Lio like he was insulted. “I’m asking her.”

Lio just rolled his eyes, his alcohol starting to speak for him, “Sure. Because you can talk to animals, can’t you? Did you learn that while you were a kid at Make Believe Land?”

Galo didn’t understand the sarcasm. “If you’re talking about growing up at Promepolis, I didn’t. My fiancée taught me after I saved her from being locked in a tower for eternity.” He dreamily sighed. “She’s the best.”

Lio just wanted this conversation to be over. “I’m sure she’s the greatest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for bed… and you should too!”

_Hiss! Snip._

“Ow!”

Cinder bit into Lio’s open palm. This confused him as he was sure the cat had always loved chin scratches, but then as the cat meowed-

“She says you shouldn’t be so rough.”

_Meow._

“And to give her more fancy tuna.”

Lio rubbed the red bite mark, processing then ignoring the way Galo spoke like he knew what an animal was saying.

…

Looking at Cinder, though, he managed to at least make a note of Galo’s advice.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

* * *

Lio was ready for bed. His alarm was off. He was in his most comfortable sweatshirt and pajama pants. It was officially time to relax and destress.

Still, in the annals of his mind, he felt his work had tied to him somehow. Memories of dealing with divorces, annulments, and… custody battles. Those were the worst. Seeing parents tear apart about who's taking their kids. Sometimes they both feel obligated to raise their children. Some debated why they shouldn’t. Even so, the situation was the same. Lio would always look at the doors they came from, knowing outside their room, within the small flicker of door frame, those parents' kids sat outside, waiting to go home. To just be a family again.

He squinted at the thought, trying to force his feelings away. Compartmentalizing emotion, though, wasn’t a 24/7 job.

And so he waited. And waited. Until finally, the dark abyss of sleep finally enclosed upon him.

* * *

Lio woke up in view of his alarm clock. It tauntingly read **5:00** **A.M.** , a start of a routine he wanted to break from. He removed himself from his sheets before looking out his balcony window. The hazy yellow of sunrise peeked a smidge behind the city skyline. After a deep breath and a moment of peace with this calm image, Lio felt another headache pounce into his skull. He made another empty promise to himself never to drink that much again. And then the memories of last night came back. And images of knights armor appeared in his head.

_Fuck. I can’t handle this right now._

He walked out of his room, to the expanse of his living area. Curled up in his couch was, expectedly, the blue haired ‘knight’ Galo. He was lightly snoring, his arms laid back behind his head. He was probably lost in thought as well before going to sleep.

_I have to kick him out._

Lio was startled when Galo began to move. But instead of waking up, the man instead rolled to his side, his breath becoming quieter. The man smiled, probably from his dreams of being home.

_...sigh...I guess staying for breakfast wouldn’t hurt…_

Lio did his best to glide past his ottoman without making too much noise. Passing Cinder without injury, the man quietly searched through his stack of dirty dishes for a pan. Once he found one, he gave it a bit of soap and water before putting it on a hot plate and setting himself for the refrigerator for some eggs. As he opened the fridge, a slow and loud meow gave his attention, Cinder signaling that if Lio was making food now, she wants in.

“Yeah, yeah. You’ll get some too. Just don’t wake _him_ up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.
> 
> Recently, I'm feeling really demotivated about my writing and am having a difficult time continuing on my ideas. Because of this, I apologize if I don't update as frequently on this story :(
> 
> I hope you enjoyed what I have so far, though. Thanks for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

“Lean near the well good sir. Then close your eyes. Now… make your wish.”

“I wish Aina and I would live happily ever aft-”

_PUSH!_

Galo woke up yelling; He was so startled, he threw the covers far enough that they were left hanging atop of the tv. Calming his breath, the first thing he noticed was how startled Lio was by this sudden outburst. He grew more composed as he apologized for such behavior, “Oh. I... I’m sorry if I may have scared you. I just had a nightmare, is all.”

Lio looked at his guest with quizzical concern, before finally just saying, “It’s fine. Umm, I’ve made some breakfast if you’re hungry.”

Galo jumped up from the news back into the childlike cheeriness he held the previous night. “You’re too kind! Thanks for the offer!”

Lio set Cinder’s food bowl down to the anticipating feline before calmly sitting by the dining room table. Galo rushed to the opposite chair, quickly placing a spoon of food in his mouth upon arrival. To Lio, the food was simple, plain and a little bit soggy. He thought to himself, _I probably should’ve let the eggs cook for a while longer._ The man looked back at Galo to see his reaction. And he could’ve sworn the ‘prince’ had stars twinkling in his eyes.

“This is so delicious,” Galo said as he chewed through half his serving. He continued to eat at a rapid pace, to the point where Lio felt he needed to stop the man so he wouldn’t potentially choke. A hearty gulp prevented any CPR from happening.

“Thank you so much for the meal. You must be proud to be talented at such a craft.”

Lio didn’t know if that was supposed to be sarcasm or not, so he just took the compliment at face value. “I’m glad you liked it, but I’m not really a five-star chef.”

Galo’s curiosity began to take hold, “What do you do, then?”

Lio didn’t really expect that question, awkwardly stumbling through his words as he tried to remember how to talk, “W-well I’m a family lawyer.”

Galo’s eyes sparkled, and more questions arose. “What does that mean?”

Lio definitely didn’t expect THAT question, but he was talking to someone he _literally_ picked up from the street, so maybe he wasn’t smart or _all there_. He explained himself, “Well, it means a lot of things. Usually, I work on cases where people are in need of a divorce.”

“What’s a _divorce_?” Galo said with the same optimistic wonder.

That. Threw Lio even more off. “Umm… it’s when two people who were once legally wed decide they no longer wish to be together.”

Galo’s smile shifted into concerned sadness. “Why would you do something like that?”

Lio didn’t understand what Galo meant. “I mean, it’s not my choice to-”

“Love is supposed to be an everlasting bond between two people. How could you disturb such a perfect thing?”

“I’m not trying to disturb it, Galo. That’s the couple’s choice if they are no longer happy with each other.”

Galo refused to believe Lio’s reasoning. “Well, maybe they don’t express their feelings well to each other. Like when I’m frustrated or feeling down, I usually sing my emotions to the world, and in return, I feel the world understands me better.”

Lio went from concern to disturbed, reminding himself once again that he should probably just give this guy his phone call and send him on his way. Galo just kept his palms close to his chest, thinking about the moment he and Aina shared their first duet together before she allowed him to propose. To him, it was magical. To Lio, it was time to clean up and quickly escort the weirdo from his home.

As he removed the dishes and stacked them on the sink’s overlapping pile, Galo continued his questioning, “Don’t you ever get the feeling to just sing your heart out Sir...sir…? Oh, it seems I never asked for your name.”

“It’s Lio. And no, I don’t sing if that’s what you are trying to ask me. Not even in the shower.”

Galo didn’t understand what Lio meant by a shower, but he continued to press, “Well, how come? There must be someone you at least pine for. Someone out there you know at first glance you are destined to be with.”

Lio was becoming really frustrated, beginning to finally do some cleaning on one of the plates. His efforts were more out of anger, though, as he scrubbed at the muck with little water. “Nope. I’m alone, if that’s what you wish to know.”

Galo gasped, shocked by this development. “You mean… you haven’t found **the one** yet?”

Lio was getting real tired of this schtick, his fingers pressing against the sponge to desperately push at the food stains. “No, I haven’t. Okay? Just drop it.”

Galo didn’t, though. In fact, he leapt from his chair and walked toward Lio’s spot. With a hand on the obviously aggravated host’s shoulder, the knight did his best to persuade, “Don’t fret, Sir Lio. Someday, you’ll find your special girl like I did. And once you do, you’ll understand why breaking people’s vows is a truly unpleasant and horrible effort.”

Lio slammed the plate down on his countertop, nearly cracking it in half. He didn’t like three things about Galo’s last statement. One, Galo assumed Lio was straight, which was a usual occurrence, but still annoying as hell to clarify. Two, Galo called Lio’s profession ‘unpleasant and horrible’. And of course three, this constant pursuit of saying Lio should just find the one by first glance, then everything will be alright. 

Done with this shit, Lio pointed a spiteful finger at Galo, ready to just shout had it not been early morning and if Lio wasn't dealing with a hangover.

“Enough. I’ve invited you to my home for a night, made you breakfast, and all you’ve done is try to damage my things and push me into your state of mind. I can handle a broken phone, but I am not looking for someone, Galo! So just drop it, and get ready to leave! I’m not allowing you another night here.”

The room echoed Lio’s frustration before silence reached it once again. Galo didn’t know what to do next. He suddenly felt his heart drop to his stomach: a feeling he never once had before he left Promepolis. It continued to sicken him as Lio turned back to the dirty dish he was cleaning, now ready to actually focus on the task. 

The knight noticed, looking back at the other dirty dishes. Then to the speckles of dust and dirt on the floor. And the pile of clothes near the washing machine. It was clear that Lio didn’t spend time to clean his apartment, so Galo decided maybe he could help, and that help could lead to his sickening feelings returning to normal.

“It looks like you could use a helping hand to clean around here.”

Lio didn’t look back. He just kept working to remove the food from his china. “I can handle it on my own.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Just let me handle it. It’s a good thing the princess taught me how to clean.”

Lio watched as Galo began to march away from the kitchen, away from the laundry room, away from the living room, to the porch. As he slid the glass doors to the outside, Lio couldn’t help but be curious as to what the hell this weirdo was going to do next.

Galo sang out a harmonious trio of “Aaaah~”’s, and somehow… a trio of the same tune sang back from beyond the city.

Lio began to feel a chill, his anger becoming a bit fearful from what could come. The sounds of pittering feet across the floor perturbed him. At first, he assumed it was just Cinder walking past him, but then he caught a glance at the countertop and found atop of it were not one, not two, but at least twenty rats.

Dozens of red eyes were staring back at him, locking the lawyer in place. A thought reached his mind just from this look.

_Breakfast was a mistake._


	4. Chapter 4

_Bang!_

Lio heard an uncomfortable noise from his vents. Slowly, he walked away from his kitchen, toward the sound to find what it could be. When he reached where the noise originated, the quiet exacerbated his fears. He tensed up, holding a ladle closely to his person.

_Bang! Bang! Screech!_

The vent’s door exploded outward, and Lio ducked once he saw and heard a black bat dive-bomb his direction. When the bat disappeared, Lio slowly walked back to the kitchen. And the sight was impossible to predict.

The same rats he saw just staring at him at the countertop before like he was in Children of the Corn, had now scurried to his sink and have started scrubbing at his dishes. They weren’t the only rodent problem either. Squirrels have also entered the apartment, and have begun grabbing Lio’s clothing, taking his work clothes and now hand-soaking them into a metal tub he had no idea he even owned. _Do I live near a Cracker Barrel or something?!_

_Hiss!_

Cinder brushed past Lio’s feet, working to stop and kill at least one of these rodents, chasing a couple frantic squirrels and rats around. But then, when Cinder managed to grab one by the tail, she felt her feet lift off the ground, as some pigeons managed to pick her up and send her across the living room, towards the bathroom. All this was happening in front of her owner, who fell frozen once again, wondering how many exterminators he would need to call to resolve this.

Galo on the other hand, sang and danced alongside the animals, as if this was all according to his plan, and maybe, in Lio’s mind, it was. He ran toward the lunatic, after a verse had finished of course, and grabbed him by the shoulders. The lawyer’s anger held back by gritted teeth.

“What the hell did you do?”

“I just called on some friends to help clean up the place a little. I figured you’d like it.”

“What makes you think I’d like a bunch of vermin scattering around in my home?! They can’t help clean up if they’re full of disease themselves, can they?”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I can’t call them back when they’re already halfway through their jobs.”

“Jobs? What jobs?!”

“Well…I mean, they are cleaning up the place, aren’t they?”

Galo pointed back at the apartment, showing that all the animals he requested are doing a significant job with the place. For instance, the mice were nearly three-quarters of the way done with cleaning up the dishes. The squirrels were working with some of the pigeons in drying some of Lio’s work uniforms on a clothesline. Meanwhile, the other pigeons, along with the bat, are midway through Cinder’s bath, which obviously the kitten was not thrilled about.

Seeing all this happen, nearly sent Lio into madness. But sadly, that was just how his day had been and although he didn’t want to have a bunch of possibly infected pests at his place, at least he didn’t have to worry about doing his laundry at the end of the day.

He sighed, “Fine. Whatever. But after they’re done, I want them **and you** gone.”

Galo smiled, “Sure thing! When we’re done, we’ll all be gladly out of your hair…heh, hare. Maybe I should…”

“No! No…this is enough. Thank you.”

“Okay. Well at least let me have a warm bath first before I go.”

Lio groaned, “Do I really have a choice?” and pointed with his ladle toward the bathroom where Cinder was currently being tortured. Galo thanked him and proceeded to disrobe as he walked. All the while, his host was beginning to have a meltdown, thinking to himself, _What the hell is wrong with me?! I should’ve just kicked him out now and called the exterminators immediately! All I wanted was a quiet day, but now it's gotten way too out of control. Could things get even worse?_

_Ding dong!_

_Shhhhhhit…_ Lio didn’t expect visitors, but the sound of a familiar voice immediately chimed into who they were.

“Yo Lio! It’s us! We came to check on you and your new guest. Is everything okay?”

Lio ran through his wooden floor. He managed to slip and fall as he did though, seeing as the squirrels and rats have now worked on mopping the area with warm soapy water. The sound of his face meeting floor led to a gigantic thud noise, concerning the muffled party.

Meis spoke up, “Everything okay in there?”

Lio was quick to answer, “Yeah, don’t worry, just tripped is all. Can you guys give me a minute and I’ll let you in.”

“Sure. We’ll wait.”

“Great. Just hold on! …hold on a moment.”

Lio picked up the nearby mop and began to shoo away any unwanted guests towards anything he could hide them in. The closet, the pantry, the outside balcony. Anything that was not the main living space, the animals needed to be. And with the balcony window, where the animals kind of just waited to get back in, Lio pulled at his curtains to ensure they wouldn’t be seen by his friends. After washing his hands of the matter, Lio carefully walked on the soapy floor and unlocked the door to allow them in.

Immediately, Gueira and Meis looked on with concern as Lio’s appearance was definitely not one they expected. A good portion of his hair was ratty and unkempt. His left eye twitched as his breath grew heavy from running around his house so frantically. And of course, the man was still in his pajamas when typically, he would dress at least casually before opening the door to greet his friends. Through labored breaths he managed a, “Come on in,” to greet the two.

“Uh, sure. You having a bad morning, Lio?”

The two made contact with the soaked floor. “Why is there water on the floor?”

“Ohhhh heh, well, thought I’d finally give this place a spring cleaning. Didn’t really have time while I was working so now I’m doing it! Just…just be careful.”

Gueira’s eyes shifted, “O…kay…so how’s Galo doing?”

“Oh, he’s great. Yeah, he’s taking a bath right now and afterwards he’ll be leaving the place. So…it’s great that you two are here actually, you can help me say goodbye to him.”

“Well, that kind of sucks. We were hoping to just talk to him some more about last night and maybe helping him out.”

“Helping him with what, exactly?” Lio returned to his typical annoyance.

“Finding his fiancée.”

Lio clapped his hands, “Sure, you can help him with that. Why don’t you two…just sit down…and I’ll check to see if he’s ready?”

Gueira and Meis kind of just went with Lio’s words, and sat back on the couch. Lio, impatient about all that has occurred, completely transitioned back into anger as he knocked on his bathroom door and spoke in loud whispers, “Galo! Galo! Are you done yet?”

“Oh, Lio! Come on in!”

The door unlocked. Lio’s eyes caught a glance at Galo’s naked body for just a split moment, before some birds managed to cover up the most private bits with a towel. Galo’s bare chest stood before the lawyer, and so Lio became just as uncomfortable by the whole thing. The words he planned to say before were gone and now he was just at a loss of what to do now.

“I didn’t know such a contraption existed that allowed the water to flow like that. It is so…magical! Tell me! What do you call that thing up there?”

“…a shower.”

“Shower! Oh, yes! What a grand invention! Did you make it yourself?”

Lio returned to reality from Galo’s irritating curiousity. “…no, I didn’t—Look, Galo. My friends are here now. They are able to help you out, so could you just please, put your clothes back on and talk to them?”

“Of course!”

Lio rolled his eyes, and found water being spread across the tile. Quickly, he grabbed a small rag to absorb it, but Galo interjected, “Don’t worry! My friends can get it for you!”

After one “Aaa~ah!”, though, a pigeon smacked Lio across the face. He tugged on Galo’s arm, pulling both of them out of the bathroom and onto the hallway floor. With Galo atop Lio’s form, and Meis and Gueira quickly standing to see what happened, the whole situation looked way more dirty than what it actually was.

Galo chuckled with innocent glee. Lio wished he could crawl under a rock and die.

Gueira added a bit of his own humor to the situation. “So I’m guessing the marriage is off, then?”


End file.
